A Hermeneutical Approach to External Validation of Simulation Models

Abstract

Validation is the most important tool in evaluating the effectiveness of a simulation model. An integral subset of validation is external validation. Through a historical philosophical discussion and examples, the authors provide a road map to navigate approaches to this topic. The authors also provide methodology suggestions by reconciling foundational philosophical approaches and incorporating a hermeneutical perspective to increase the usability, validity, and generalizability of simulation models.